Shortening is normally made with hydrogenated oils. Spectrum makes one without.
"Partial hydrogenation is an industrial process used to make a perfectly good oil, such as soybean oil, into a perfectly bad oil. The process is used to make an oil more solid; provide longer shelf-life in baked products; provide longer fry-life for cooking oils, and provide a certain kind of texture or "mouthfeel." The big problem is that partially hydrogenated oil is laden with lethal trans fat.
One of the reasons that partially hydrogenated oils are used is to increase the product's shelf life, but they decrease your shelf life.
Trans fats cause significant and serious lowering of HDL (good) cholesterol and a significant and serious increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol; make the arteries more rigid; cause major clogging of arteries; cause insulin resistance; cause or contribute to type 2 diabetes; and cause or contribute to other serious health problems."
To sum it up...READ LABELS ON YOUR FOOD!
It's being put into just about everything...Bread, crackers, cookies, cakes.
Fast food is loaded with it.
Take control of your health by educating yourself and reading what goes into your food.
(info and quotes from www.bantransfats.com)
